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Singapore. Casino operator Marina Bay Sands, seeking to recover about $1 million in debts from two gamblers, wants to grill one on the witness stand and slap a court notice on the other in his Malaysian home.

In the first of the two separate cases, it wants Octavius Tok to disclose all his assets in court.

The High Court last year ordered Tok to pay a $619,589 bill he racked up at MBS, but he has still not done so.

Tok, a Singaporean, chalked up the bill during a 23-day stay at the hotel last year. It includes charges for 125 bottles of liquor worth a total of $522,481, 5,285 packs of cigarettes and 62 phone top-up cards.

The 37-year-old former racehorse owner is expected to show up in the High Court on Tuesday to be examined by MBS’ lawyers from Harry Elias Partnership over his debts.

But Tok is expected to resist the claims and has hired lawyers from RHT Law LLP to defend him — unlike in June last year, when a judgment was obtained in default as he did not defend himself, despite being notified.

He was remanded in jail then, facing armed robbery charges, but a court ordered his release late last year.

It ordered a discharge not amounting to an acquittal - which means the charge was put on hold, and prosecutors can revive the case if new evidence surfaces.

Tok incurred the expenses at MBS in March and April last year.

He was alleged to have robbed businessman Gay Choon Hooi of $450,000 in a hotel room at MBS in April.

Mr Tok’s criminal case is due to be reviewed by the court in March.

Separately, MBS obtained a court order last week allowing it to serve its claims on Kuala Lumpur-based businessman Low Lin, 71, either at his consumer credit company’s address or elsewhere abroad.

Low allegedly owes the casino some $442,210 in losses, and as he is based abroad, High Court permission is required to serve the suit papers on him.

MBS says it advanced Low $500,000 in credit in April 2010, although he had asked for $1 million.

He made multiple trips to the casino over four months, from April to July that year.

He paid up $45,000 of his total debts, according to court documents, but left some $442,210 outstanding as of July 2010.

A cheque he had advanced to MBS, which was a prerequisite for getting credit, bounced in March last year, according to the papers filed by its lawyers Kelvin Tan and Natasha Nur from Drew & Napier.

Low failed to respond to several letters seeking repayment, the last of which was sent in November last year.

A High Court pre-trial conference is due tomorrow.

It is understood that MBS’ move to vigorously pursue debts through court action is based on the principle of deterring potential defaulters, even if the prospects of recovering the money are dim.

Lawyers add that court action to retrieve bad debts would also support its claim for tax relief, as the revenue from its winnings would also include that from gamblers who played on credit, but lost and did not pay up.